/ Race recovery time

Been running since last summer. Last Sunday I entered my 2nd fell race. It was only short (.5 miles) but very steep (c950ft climbing).
I gave it my all and don't think I could have gone any faster. I've been for 2 runs since - Weds did a flattish 10km and felt pretty dead after about 5 miles and today did about 9 miles but felt like I had no power and walked some sections that I normally run.
Is this normal after a race? Even such a short one? Normally I'm feeling fine 2 or at most 3 days after even a long (for me) run

In reply to Alex@home: Completely normal, racing is not the same as training (however hard you train). Many race on the fells every week, or more, but it takes a time to work up to that. Rest the legs on the hills, you'll come round soon enough

There's nothing unusual about this. Recovery to me is a mystery. Sometimes I recover within 2 days form an ultra and feel fine, other times I feel flat for 2 weeks after a 10k. The only way to deal with it is to take it as it cimes and not overdo it.

In reply to Alex@home: I don't know if it would work for you but I noticed immediate improvements in my recovery times when I started taking whey protien after runs. Maybe its an age thing but perhaps its worth a try.

In reply to Alex@home: yeah.. it takes a while to get race fit.. I remember the first time I did a short UK fell race.. I was in pieces for days afterwards.. now I'm not that much quicker but I can go for a long run the next day..

In many ways shorts can take it out of your legs more than the longs as you can give it your all..

Agreed. I've done a sixty miler on the fells and been running OK three days later and racing about five days after that. Against that I did a 10k and could hardly walk for a week, and I've done plenty of 10Ks so it wasn't as if I wasn't used to running on roads.